Unusual Enrollment History

Beginning with the 2013-2014 award year, the U.S. Department of Education will flag federal student aid (FAFSA) applications for ‘unusual enrollment history’ to identify instances of potential fraud and abuse of the Federal Pell Grant Program.

The flag will identify students who have been awarded the Federal Pell Grant at multiple post-secondary institutions, and remained enrolled only long enough to receive a Title IV credit balance/refund, leave without completing the enrollment period, enroll at another institution, and repeat the pattern. The period of review includes academic enrollment periods during 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. These students are not eligible for federal student aid until the institution has conducted a review to analyze completed enrollment, earned academic credit, and federal student aid paid.

The flags and codes that will be used on the 2013-2014 FAFSA to identify students for review are as follows:

UEH Flag Value

“C” Code

Comment Code

Flag Description

School Action to Resolve Flag

N

No

None

Enrollment pattern not unusual

No school action required.

2

Yes

359

Possible enrollment pattern problem. May have received PELL funds at three institutions over two award years.

School must review enrollment/academic and financial aid records for past three award years.

3

Yes

360

Questionable enrollment pattern. May have received PELL grant at three or more institutions in one award year.

School must review enrollment/academic and financial aid records for past three award years.

Students with UEH flag 2 and UEH flag 3 on the 2013-2014 FAFSA will be required to complete and submit the “2013-2014 Unusual Enrollment History” form to the Office of Financial Aid for review to determine whether the student enrolled in multiple institutions solely to obtain a credit balance/refund payment. Official transcripts for each institution attended must be submitted with the form. The student will also have to attach a ‘statement of explanation’ for any course for which no academic credit was earned. The statement can include copies of third party supporting documentation such as medical bills/doctors’ reports, military assignment or court documentation of legal events. Additional documents or information may be requested.

For students who earned academic credit at each of the previously attended institutions during 2010-2011, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013, no further action is required, and the student’s eligibility for federal student aid can be reinstated. In instances where the student has been awarded a Pell Grant at Roosevelt University during the review academic enrollment periods, the student may be placed on an academic plan and given counsel about the implications of enrollment history on Pell Grant eligibility.

Federal student aid eligibility will be reinstated when the ‘unusual enrollment history’ review outcome is that the student did not enroll solely to obtain a credit balance/refund payment, and the transcripts and other documentation support the student’s explanation. The student may be placed on an academic plan and given counsel about the implications of enrollment history on Pell Grant eligibility. The U.S. Department of Education “Statement of Educational Purpose” may also be required. Financial aid eligibility for the Pell Grant and campus-based assistance will be awarded for the payment period during which the student regains eligibility. Direct loan eligibility will apply to the award year.

Federal student aid eligibility will not be reinstated when the ‘unusual enrollment history’ review determines that the documentation does not support or disprove that the student enrolled in multiple programs at multiple institutions solely to obtain a credit balance/refund payment, and the student did not earn academic credit at one or more of the prior institutions.

When federal student aid eligibility is not reinstated, the student may appeal by submitting the “Special Circumstances Appeal” form. Criteria for consideration of the appeal will require that the student has met with an Academic Adviser, been enrolled for three academic terms only in required degree program courses, has not withdrawn officially or unofficially from the courses, and academic credit is earned that meets the standards of federal satisfactory academic progress - http://www.roosevelt.edu/FinancialAid/Policies/SAP.aspx. Evidence of criteria compliance must be included with the “Special Circumstances Appeal” form. The special circumstances appeal decision is final and no further consideration will be given to reinstating federal student aid eligibility at Roosevelt University.